Im new, anwsers wanted

Well, so far I have a Kato SD80MAC(NS #7204) & a total of 2 cars. :p I have more cars waiting for MT's. I have most of the benchwork done, I just have to reinstall new legs & move it into my room.
 
Originally posted by rcwatkins
What's a good starter DC Power Pack that is not overly expnsive. I have chose to use Kato Unitrack. Any suggestions?
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RC,

This may be a bit late, joined the Gauge after your first post and haven't seen this till now. If you haven't bought one yet or are looking for a second one, there is a big performance difference between the MRC 1300 series and the MRC Tech II series for a slightly higher price.

The 1300 outputs 120 Hz full wave rectified unfiltered sine pulses of varying voltage as set by the position of the throttle knob. The incoming 60 Hz AC is frequency doubled as a normal product of full wave 4 diode bridge rectification from AC to DC.

The Tech II outputs pulses in pairs - higher voltage 60Hz pulses interleaved with lower voltage 60Hz pulses. Both pulses have a peak voltage as set by the throttle knob, but as the knob is set for higher speeds the voltage difference between pulse pairs decreases so at full throttle the output is 120 Hz equal level pulses. But at low throttle the main pulses are predominantly 60 Hz followed by very low voltage interleaved pulses. This lower frequency 60Hz gives smoother running and higher torque than 120Hz.

In the photo the blue trace is the MRC 1370, the yellow trace is the MRC 1440 Tech II. Both are set to medium speed, 55 smph for a Z scale Micro-Trains F-7 locomotive. All my trains, both N and Z scale, run much nicer at slow speed on the Tech II .
 

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Well, today in I got 2 Atlas cars. It was from a new hobby shop that isn't as far away but doesn't have great N stock. The benchwork is almost done, however I will have to move it & put new legs on it. It has also been painted.
 
A couple of things for you
When modelling in N scale,there are 2 good magazines out there.
N-Scale and
N-scale railroading
They are an every other month publication and run around 27.00 per year for a subscription.
They will give you a ton of information+ tell you when and where train shows and meets will take place.The shows sometimes have some great bargains for the budget minded modellor.The MRC power packs are excellant.I have a tech 2 1370 and a tech 4 240.I like the momentum and braking features on the tech 4 it gives you the feel ing of having alot of weight behind you when operating.There is also a book out there called N scale model railroad that grows(check amazon.com for a used copy) this will give you a plan that can be built and added onto as time and money allow.Good Luck to you!!:thumb:
 
get some of the Model Railoading "how-to" books from KALMBACH PUBLISHING. They're availble at your L.H.S. (Local Hobby Shop) if the's one near yoy, online from a number of dealers, or from Kalmbachs web site at WWW.KALMBACH.COM/BOOKS
They're EXELLENT. Also cheeck out the web site of the N.M.R.A. (National Model Railroad Association) at WWW.NMRA.ORG
 
RC,
My adice, first change the 9 cars with MT's.
Second, make an oval with the Unitrack and run your train(one loc with eleven cars).
You will see you get bored, no problem with Unitrack, change your oval to a point to point, or change the original oval by creating a few sidings with a runaround and then run your train again with the need to switch industries located on your sidings.
You will see, no boring at all, just try to give each client of your railroad his cars and replacing the (empty, loaded) by others.
Hope this helps.
Paul
 
Okay, here's an update. I have a Railpower 1370 (as mentioned in previous post). In roadnames I am leaning toward NS. I don't have a trackplan that I like yet (gotta get more track) so my progress is stalled. What I do have is that some of my industries include a box factory, a grain industry, an old general store, and a pick up/drop off point for trucks and intermodal containers. I do have a foam board down though and am testing trackplans for my layout. I have little money and don't know where to go from here. I also ran an operating session today. It was just me and it only lasted one hour but I know that sooner or later (preferably sooner) I'll need to try and get my switches working.
 
You could always do what most clubs do---set on a track plan you like, build the bench work accordingly, setup the mainline trackage, then scenic and add secondary trackage as time and funds dictate. You'll be running trains in no time. Gotta love that classic understated paint the NS has, keep us posted :thumb:
 
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